


Burn

by I_Gave_You_Fair_Warning



Series: In Nauseating Variety: Mustafar [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, F/M, Gen, Graphic Burning Alive, Murder-Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 16:17:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10312187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Gave_You_Fair_Warning/pseuds/I_Gave_You_Fair_Warning
Summary: Fire. Lots of it. With unnecessary detail. Yet another take on Mustafar. No happy ending, even if you squint. The opposite of a fix-it AU. Expect darkness, death, and pain in gleeful and unapologetic abundance.Please take care of yourselves, m'dears. If this won't make your day better, find something that will.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The Cost of Balance is once again under construction. Since I'm putting active work on that, I wanted something to post, so I went digging in the vault of old writings.

 

Obi-Wan was aware of the landing platform splitting in half as the facility broke apart.

He was aware of the battle raging on the still-safe half.

Aware of Padmé plummeting toward the lava far below, only now awaking from her Anakin-inflicted unconsciousness.

Obi-Wan felt his best friend's emotions pressing hard against him. Anakin was too focused on trying to kill Obi-Wan— he wouldn't help his wife. His vision had narrowed too far, and nothing but murder mattered.

Obi-Wan knew this battle could only end in a stalemate. Neither could defeat the other.

Since he was unable to carry out Master Yoda's command....

And he wouldn't let Padmé die if he could at all prevent it....

And he was Jedi....

He reached out through the Force and caught her, pulling her to the relative safety of what was left of the landing platform.

And Anakin took advantage of his distraction, even though somewhere in there he knew Obi-Wan was saving his wife.

Obi-Wan had known it would fall that way.

Anakin's blue blade knocked aside his attempted defense and slammed through his abdomen.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan stared into Vader's eyes for a long moment. The Jedi's thought plowed into the Sith's mind.

_ I loved you, Anakin. I'm so sorry. _

Vader could feel Obi-Wan's pain, increasing... blazing louder, hotter....

He jerked his lightsaber free and kicked Obi-Wan hard in the jaw.

There was a horrible crack, and Obi-Wan stumbled back half a step, crashing to the ground, landing on the brink of the broken edge.

 

* * *

 

Padmé, in the process of picking herself up, watched in horror.

Obi-Wan was dying.

Even she could see it.

He lay still, breathing hard, gaze glassy.

Padmé flung herself forward, her tears unstoppable. She knelt over him, grief overwhelming her. What had Anakin  _ become _ ? What was he  _ doing _ ?

He had wiped out the Tuskens...

But the Jedi had never wronged him. They hadn't tortured any of his loved ones to death, and never would. All those children...

And his best friend.

_ While  _ Obi-Wan was trying to save the person Anakin loved most in all the galaxy.

She could see the hatred and bloodlust blazing in his eyes.  _ Ani's  _ eyes.

But... he wasn't Ani anymore. Was he even Anakin anymore?

She looked up at him, and in a moment, she felt something to her deepest soul.

He was a monster. A terrifying agent of evil bent on destruction.

_ For me. He said he's doing all this for me.  _ And yet it was Padmé's greatest nightmare, and she would give anything—  _ die—  _ to have it stopped. To redeem Anakin.

Her husband prowled closer, lightsaber still activated, though he knew Obi-Wan would never stand again.

Padmé saw a tiny movement out of the corner of her eye, turned her head—

Obi-Wan was looking up at her with an expression of profound apology and grief.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan wished it hadn't had to be this way. Wished it hadn't come to this.

That he didn't have to—

He grabbed Anakin's foot and rolled himself over the edge.

Anakin swiped his lightsaber at Obi-Wan's hand, but even as he moved, Obi-Wan pulled himself closer and wrapped his arms around Anakin's body. The blade carved into his side, instead of severing his arm.

And at that point, it was too late.

They hit the rocky bank, millimeters from the lava. Obi-Wan tried to roll them closer, but his brother fought back.

The heat melted Anakin's black glove....

Their clothes burst into flames.

And still Obi-Wan refused to let go.

Anakin thrashed, struggling, hacking his lightsaber into Obi-Wan again and again, screaming as the two burned.

Hair disappeared, skin bubbled.

Anakin managed to get his lightsaber up, the hilt aimed for Obi-Wan's heart in such a way that it wouldn't hit its wielder too.

 

* * *

 

The blade made one last wound.

Obi-Wan stared into Vader's eyes as he died. The light of Obi-Wan's spirit fading, as though burned away.

His arms loosened...

Vader pulled away. He flung the corpse into the lava, then fought to smother the flames consuming him.

But there was no way. His flesh dripped... agony coursed through his body...

He rolled on the lava-rock, but there was too much oxygen... he couldn't put it out....

He looked up, saw Padmé.

She was watching from above, speechless in horror.

He called out to her. He tried to climb to her—

And she made no move to help him.

 

* * *

 

Padmé stared into yellowed eyes and knew.

She couldn't allow him to escape.

How many more innocent lives would be slaughtered if she did? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions?

_ Billions? _

As a Sith, ruling the galaxy...

Vader collapsed to his knees, unable to continue, then flat on the ground. He thrashed and screamed.

Padmé tore herself away, turning, and racing for the ship. She grabbed her blaster pistol.

She couldn't let him leave here alive, but he didn't have to suffer like this. She could make it end quickly. End the torture.

He was unrecognizable now. She could see the gleaming white bones of his left fingers... the wires of his right had fused and melted. His head split and oozing, lips cracked...

Writhing.

She raised the blaster and aimed. But her hand shook, her courage fled.

She couldn't do it.

And in that moment, her resolution broke, as it always did when Anakin was involved. She gave in and fled back to the ship to get fire extinguishing devices. She sprinted back to the edge of the dock, trying to find a way down to her husband...

Knowing, even as she did so, that it was too late to save him. Too late.

But she had to try anyway.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I actually took out more than one ellipsis. Hard to believe? I culled several. This is from an era before I discovered the wonderful and (by me) much abused dash. I was moving in the direction of my current style, but not quite there yet.


End file.
